Jason Beaubienhttp://wnpr.org
enYou Don't Want To Mess With An Angry Motherhttp://wnpr.org/post/you-dont-want-mess-angry-mother
In the Kenyan port city of Mombasa, Phyllis Omido knew that industry could pose a danger to the surrounding communities. She'd worked on environmental impact assessment reports for several factories.<p>But when her 2 1/2-year-old son, King David, got sick with a mysterious condition, it didn't occur to her that it might be from environmental toxins. He had a high fever that wasn't responding to medication. He couldn't sleep. He was plagued with diarrhea, and his eyes became runny.Mon, 20 Apr 2015 20:00:00 +0000Jason Beaubien39335 at http://wnpr.orgYou Don't Want To Mess With An Angry MotherWHO Leader Says End Of Ebola Outbreak Is Near, But Hard Work Remainshttp://wnpr.org/post/who-leader-says-end-ebola-outbreak-near-hard-work-remains
<div class="fullattribution">Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.<img src="http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif?utmac=UA-5828686-4&utmdt=WHO+Leader+Says+End+Of+Ebola+Outbreak+Is+Near%2C+But+Hard+Work+Remains&utme=8(APIKey)9(MDA5Njc0ODg4MDEzNDA5MTE5NDRhNDMzYw004)"/></div><p>Transcript <p>ARUN RATH, HOST: <p>The leaders of the three West African nations hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak unveiled a multibillion-dollar recovery plan this week in Washington. Much of the international funding they're seeking would go to rebuilding their decimated healthcare systems.Sat, 18 Apr 2015 22:25:00 +0000Jason Beaubien39250 at http://wnpr.orgWhat's Bigger: Yemen Or Virginia? There's An App For Thathttp://wnpr.org/post/whats-bigger-yemen-or-virginia-theres-app
The headlines tell a lot about the crisis in Yemen: internal strife, evacuations of international aid workers, Saudi Arabian airstrikes.<p>But you may have one very basic question that you can't easily find an answer for: How big is Yemen, anyway?<p>You can look at maps and check out Wikipedia but wouldn't it be great to just to slap an outline of Yemen on top of a map of the United States to get a sense of its size?<p><a href="http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/">IfItWereMyHome.com</a> lets you do just that.<p>Andy Lintner, who created the site, says his goal is to help give people a better sense Fri, 10 Apr 2015 20:06:00 +0000Jason Beaubien38869 at http://wnpr.orgWhat's Bigger: Yemen Or Virginia? There's An App For ThatThe Brother Went To Fight Ebola. So Did His Sister. Mom Was 'A Wreck'http://wnpr.org/post/brother-went-fight-ebola-so-did-his-sister-mom-was-wreck
When Alex Tran went off to Sierra Leone to work as an epidemiologist, his parents were worried. His mom was "a wreck," according to his sister Jen, who followed him into the Ebola hot zone a few weeks later.<p>Last fall as the Ebola outbreak raged in West Africa, Alex, 28, was working at USAID. Jen, who's a registered nurse, was deployed with the U.S. Navy on a ship in the Arabian Gulf. They both were itching to get to the front lines of the epidemic to help.<p>Alex landed his job first with the International Medical Corps in Sierra Leone.Sun, 01 Mar 2015 22:29:00 +0000Jason Beaubien36776 at http://wnpr.orgThe Brother Went To Fight Ebola. So Did His Sister. Mom Was 'A Wreck'The World Could Be On The Verge Of Losing A Powerful Malaria Drughttp://wnpr.org/post/world-could-be-verge-losing-powerful-malaria-drug
A new study<a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(15)70032-0/abstract"></a> finds a disturbing trend in the battle against malaria.Fri, 20 Feb 2015 08:36:00 +0000Jason Beaubien36303 at http://wnpr.orgThe World Could Be On The Verge Of Losing A Powerful Malaria DrugNigeria Is On The Verge Of Bidding Goodbye To Polio http://wnpr.org/post/nigeria-verge-bidding-goodbye-polio
Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the three countries where polio transmission has never been brought to a halt.<p>Now Nigeria may be leaving this unfortunate club.<p>In 2006 the West African nation recorded more than 1,000 cases of polio-induced paralysis.Thu, 12 Feb 2015 21:39:00 +0000Jason Beaubien35956 at http://wnpr.orgNigeria Is On The Verge Of Bidding Goodbye To Polio The U.S. Helped Beat Back Ebola — Only Not In The Way You Might Thinkhttp://wnpr.org/post/us-helped-beat-back-ebola-only-not-way-you-might-think
Hundreds of U.S. troops, sent to help fight Ebola in West Africa, are now coming home. That's the news from the White House today.<p>Did they make a difference?<p>Not in the way you'd think. The grand plans to build 17 new field hospitals in Liberia and train thousands of health care workers, announced in September, didn't quite come off. Several of the hospitals weren't needed and were never built. Others opened after the epidemic had peaked and were practically empty.Wed, 11 Feb 2015 21:28:00 +0000Jason Beaubien35884 at http://wnpr.orgThe U.S. Helped Beat Back Ebola — Only Not In The Way You Might ThinkCritics Say Ebola Crisis Was WHO's Big Failure. Will Reform Follow?http://wnpr.org/post/critics-say-ebola-crisis-was-whos-big-failure-will-reform-follow
Ebola was the Hurricane Katrina for the World Health Organization — its moment of failure. The organization's missteps in the early days of the outbreak are now legendary.<p>At first the agency that's responsible for "providing leadership on global health matters" was dismissive of the scale of the problem in West Africa. Then it deflected responsibility for the crisis to the overwhelmed governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.Fri, 06 Feb 2015 16:07:00 +0000Jason Beaubien35590 at http://wnpr.orgCritics Say Ebola Crisis Was WHO's Big Failure. Will Reform Follow?Measles Vaccination Rates: Tanzania Does Better Than U.S.http://wnpr.org/post/measles-vaccination-rates-tanzania-does-better-us
As debate mounts in the U.S. over whether or not to require measles vaccinations, global immunization rates show something interesting: Many poor countries have far higher vaccination rates than rich ones.<p>Tanzania gets the most bang for its GDP buck when it comes to measles vaccination. The East African nation is ranked <a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2004rank.html?countryname=Tanzania&countrycode=tz&regionCode=afr&rank=200#tz">200th</a> out of 228 countries in terms of gross domestic product per capita.Fri, 06 Feb 2015 15:56:00 +0000Jason Beaubien35588 at http://wnpr.orgMeasles Vaccination Rates: Tanzania Does Better Than U.S.New Clues To Mysterious Kidney Disease Afflicting Sugar Cane Workers http://wnpr.org/post/new-clues-mysterious-kidney-disease-afflicting-sugar-cane-workers
Something is destroying the kidneys of farm workers along the Pacific coast of Central America. Over the past two decades, more than 20,000 people in western Nicaragua and El Salvador — mostly men and many of them in their 20s and 30s — have died of a mysterious form of kidney failure. Researchers have been able to say definitively that it's not diabetes or other common causes of kidney failure.Wed, 04 Feb 2015 16:09:00 +0000Jason Beaubien35453 at http://wnpr.orgNew Clues To Mysterious Kidney Disease Afflicting Sugar Cane Workers Measles Is A Killer: It Took 145,000 Lives Worldwide Last Yearhttp://wnpr.org/post/measles-killer-it-took-100000-lives-worldwide-last-year
The number of measles cases from the outbreak linked to Disneyland has now risen to at least 98. But measles remains extremely rare in the United States.<p>The rest of the world hasn't been so fortunate. Last year roughly 250,000 people came down with measles; more than half of them died.<p>Currently the Philippines is experiencing a major measles outbreak that sickened 57,000 people in 2014. China had twice that many cases, although they were more geographically spread out.Fri, 30 Jan 2015 23:35:00 +0000Jason Beaubien35257 at http://wnpr.orgMeasles Is A Killer: It Took 145,000 Lives Worldwide Last YearFor Dollars Donated To Vaccine Campaigns, Norway Wears The Crownhttp://wnpr.org/post/dollars-donated-vaccine-campaigns-norway-wears-crown
GAVI asked and the world gave.<p>GAVI is the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization. At a conference in Berlin today, the nonprofit group asked for help in meeting its goals of vaccinating 300 million children in low income countries against potentially fatal diseases.<p>The response was extraordinary: a total of $7.5 billion pledged to cover GAVI's 2016-2020 efforts.<p>The largest single donor was the United Kingdom, which ponied up $1.573 billion. The second leading donor was the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ($1.550 Billion) followed by Norway and the United States.Tue, 27 Jan 2015 23:12:00 +0000Jason Beaubien35061 at http://wnpr.orgFor Dollars Donated To Vaccine Campaigns, Norway Wears The Crown30-Year Sentence Lifted For Woman In El Salvador Abortion Casehttp://wnpr.org/post/30-year-sentence-lifted-woman-el-salvador-abortion-case
Seven years ago, Carmen Guadalupe Vasquez Aldana went to jail in El Salvador. She was initially charged with abortion but prosecutors elevated the charge to aggravated homicide, arguing that the fetus was viable.Thu, 22 Jan 2015 22:40:00 +0000Jason Beaubien34838 at http://wnpr.org30-Year Sentence Lifted For Woman In El Salvador Abortion CaseWhat's Most Likely To Kill You? Hint: Probably Not An Epidemichttp://wnpr.org/post/whats-most-likely-kill-you-hint-probably-not-epidemic
Noncommunicable diseases have become the leading killers around the globe. In 2012, two-thirds of all deaths worldwide were the result of conditions such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and respiratory infections. The mortality rate from noncommunicable diseases was even higher in low- and middle-income countries.<p>What is it that's most likely to kill you? The World Health Organization says that in the 21st century, it's your lifestyle.<p>And it's not just a Western problem.<p>Around the world, lifestyles are changing rapidly — and not for the better.Mon, 19 Jan 2015 21:09:00 +0000Jason Beaubien34633 at http://wnpr.orgWhat's Most Likely To Kill You? Hint: Probably Not An EpidemicPrediction: All Predictions About Ebola Are Unpredictablehttp://wnpr.org/post/prediction-all-predictions-about-ebola-are-unpredictable
Throughout the Ebola outbreak the two big questions have always been: How bad is this going to get? And when is it going to end?<p>Current data show that the numbers of new cases are dropping in all three of the hardest-hit West African countries. A <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1002056">new study</a> predicts Ebola could be eliminated from Liberia by June.<p>But Ebola specialists are leery of predictions, even from the most reputable of sources.<p>"The idea of predicting infectious disease is relatively new.Thu, 15 Jan 2015 15:55:00 +0000Jason Beaubien34441 at http://wnpr.orgPrediction: All Predictions About Ebola Are UnpredictableA Cow Head Will Not Erupt From Your Body If You Get A Smallpox Vaccinehttp://wnpr.org/post/cow-head-will-not-erupt-your-body-if-you-get-smallpox-vaccine
It all started with milkmaids.<p>Edward Jenner, an 18th-century English country doctor, noticed that they seemed to be immune to smallpox.<p>And that was a time when smallpox was a truly terrifying disease. Each year, it killed hundreds of thousands of Europeans. It made people terribly sick. Its oozing blisters scarred many of its victims for life. And there was no cure.<p>A new exhibit at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, open until March 1, traces the history of a disease that as late as the 1960s was still killing millions every year.Wed, 07 Jan 2015 21:24:00 +0000Jason Beaubien34022 at http://wnpr.orgA Cow Head Will Not Erupt From Your Body If You Get A Smallpox VaccineEbola Survivor: The Best Word For The Virus Is 'Aggression'http://wnpr.org/post/ebola-survivor-best-word-virus-aggression
When Dr. Ian Crozier arrived in West Africa this past summer, he was stepping into the epicenter of the Ebola hot zone. The American doctor was working in the Ebola ward of a large, public hospital in Sierra Leone's dusty city of Kenema.<p>The trip nearly cost him his life. First came a fever, then a severe headache. "My first thought was, 'Oh, I must have missed a few days of my malaria prophylaxis,' " Crozier recalls.<p>A day and a half later, Crozier was medevaced to Atlanta and admitted to Emory University Hospital's isolation unit. He had come down with Ebola.Sat, 27 Dec 2014 11:59:00 +0000Jason Beaubien33505 at http://wnpr.orgEbola Survivor: The Best Word For The Virus Is 'Aggression'Pakistan Keeps On Vaccinating Despite Tough Terrain And Terror Threathttp://wnpr.org/post/pakistan-keeps-vaccinating-despite-tough-terrain-and-terror-threat
Between the rugged terrain and the constant terrorist threats, vaccinating Pakistani children against common diseases hasn't been easy. Mountains make it hard — at times even impossible — for vaccinators to reach people in the north. In the south, health workers have to use four-wheelers and camels to travel through Pakistan's harsh deserts.<p>The Taliban also stands in the way. Since 2012, the Taliban has gunned down at least 60 health workers and policemen who were guarding them.Thu, 18 Dec 2014 14:40:00 +0000Jason Beaubien33090 at http://wnpr.orgPakistan Keeps On Vaccinating Despite Tough Terrain And Terror ThreatDreaming Up A Safer, Cooler PPE For Ebola Fightershttp://wnpr.org/post/dreaming-safer-cooler-ppe-ebola-fighters
Here's what it takes to design a better Ebola suit: a roomful of university students and professors, piles of canvas and <a href="http://www.dupont.com/products-and-services/fabrics-fibers-nonwovens/protective-fabrics/brands/tyvek.html">Tyvek</a> cloth, sewing machines, glue guns ... and chocolate syrup.<p>Even Youseph Yazdi, head of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design (<a href="http://cbid.bme.jhu.edu/">CBID</a>), still isn't sure what the syrup was for.<p>But the reason to make a better protective suit for Ebola workers is very clear.Wed, 17 Dec 2014 21:39:00 +0000Jason Beaubien33061 at http://wnpr.orgDreaming Up A Safer, Cooler PPE For Ebola FightersYou Don't Want To Monkey Around With Monkey Malariahttp://wnpr.org/post/you-dont-want-monkey-around-monkey-malaria
In Southeast Asia, the battle against malaria is growing even more complicated. And it's all because of monkeys, who carry a form of malaria that until a few years ago wasn't a problem for people.<strong> </strong><p>"According to the textbooks there are only four species of <em>plasmodium</em> <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/about/biology/parasites.html">parasites </a>that cause malaria in humans," says <a href="http://www.tedxkl.com/professor-balbir-singh/">Balbir Singh</a>, the director of the Malaria Research Center at the University of Malaysia in Sarawak.Thu, 11 Dec 2014 22:11:00 +0000Jason Beaubien32741 at http://wnpr.orgIdris Elba Plays A Soccer Coach Out To Crush Ebola In New Ad Campaignhttp://wnpr.org/post/idris-elba-plays-soccer-coach-out-crush-ebola-new-ad-campaign
<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnnU_o010EE</p>Sat, 06 Dec 2014 11:47:00 +0000Jason Beaubien32443 at http://wnpr.orgIdris Elba Plays A Soccer Coach Out To Crush Ebola In New Ad CampaignStartling Statistic: Only 8 Patients In Largest Ebola Hospitalhttp://wnpr.org/post/startling-statistic-only-8-patients-largest-ebola-hospital
<p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZusF0x6LnU</p>Wed, 03 Dec 2014 19:20:00 +0000Jason Beaubien32289 at http://wnpr.orgStartling Statistic: Only 8 Patients In Largest Ebola HospitalSchool For Husbands Gets Men To Talk About Family Sizehttp://wnpr.org/post/school-husbands-gets-men-talk-about-family-size
It's a bunch of guys sitting around talking.<p>About the benefits of birth control.<p>About how a woman should take care of herself when she's pregnant.<p>About breast-feeding.<p>You know, the kind of things guys never talk about.<p>There are 12 of them, sitting in a circle under a tin roof. Some wear long, colorful tunics. Their flip-flops are scattered around the outer edge of the carpet.Thu, 27 Nov 2014 08:50:00 +0000Jason Beaubien32024 at http://wnpr.orgSchool For Husbands Gets Men To Talk About Family SizeThe Whole World Is Fat! And That Ends Up Costing $2 Trillion A Yearhttp://wnpr.org/post/whole-world-fat-and-ends-costing-2-trillion-year
Obesity used to be an issue primarily in well-off countries. It was one of those things flippantly dismissed as a "first-world problem." Now people are packing on the pounds all over the planet.Thu, 20 Nov 2014 22:30:00 +0000Jason Beaubien31730 at http://wnpr.orgThe Whole World Is Fat! And That Ends Up Costing $2 Trillion A YearMali Already Has An Ebola Cluster: Can The Virus Be Stopped?http://wnpr.org/post/mali-already-has-ebola-cluster-can-virus-be-stopped
"This is not just one case," says Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "It's a cluster." He's talking about the Ebola situation in Mali, where two people have likely died of the disease in Bamako, the capital, and two others have tested positive.<p>Hundreds more may have been exposed.Fri, 14 Nov 2014 08:32:00 +0000Jason Beaubien31400 at http://wnpr.orgMali Already Has An Ebola Cluster: Can The Virus Be Stopped?Mali Is Worried About Ebola, Quarantines Nearly 100http://wnpr.org/post/mali-worried-about-ebola-quarantines-nearly-100
Mali slapped quarantine orders on nearly 90 people on Wednesday and closed a mosque and a health facility in an effort to contain an Ebola outbreak.<p>The moves come after a nurse at a private clinic in the capital, Bamako, was confirmed as an Ebola victim.<p>One of the nurse's patients was not tested for Ebola but is now listed as a "probable" case. The 70-year-old grand imam, from the village of Kouremale on the Guinea/Mali border, fell ill in mid-October with an undiagnosed condition.Wed, 12 Nov 2014 20:25:00 +0000Jason Beaubien31325 at http://wnpr.orgMali Is Worried About Ebola, Quarantines Nearly 100Guinea Is Seeing More Ebola Cases: Can The Trend Be Stopped?http://wnpr.org/post/guinea-seeing-more-ebola-cases-can-trend-be-stopped
In the current Ebola crisis, much of the focus has been on Liberia and Sierra Leone. But the virus also continues to spread in Guinea, where the first case in the current outbreak was identified in March.<p>According to the latest <a href="http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/137510/1/roadmapsitrep_5Nov14_eng.pdf?ua=1">figures</a> from the World Health Organization, Guinea has had fewer cases than either Sierra Leone (4,759) or Liberia (6,525). WHO has recorded 1,731 Ebola cases and 1,041 deaths in Guinea. This, however, is just a few dozen fatalities fewer than in Sierra Leone.Fri, 07 Nov 2014 14:30:00 +0000Jason Beaubien31063 at http://wnpr.orgU.S. Military Response To Ebola Gains Momentum In Liberiahttp://wnpr.org/post/us-military-response-ebola-gains-momentum-liberia
Two new U.S. Ebola treatment facilities are expected to open in Liberia over the next week. One is a 25-bed field hospital near Monrovia's airport, specifically to treat local health care workers who get infected. The other is a 100-bed Ebola treatment unit, or ETU, in the town of Tubmanburg, north of Monrovia.<p>The 25-bed hospital is finished and set to open this weekend.Wed, 05 Nov 2014 22:27:00 +0000Jason Beaubien30975 at http://wnpr.orgU.S. Military Response To Ebola Gains Momentum In LiberiaEbola Researchers Banned From Medical Meeting In New Orleanshttp://wnpr.org/post/ebola-researchers-banned-medical-meeting-new-orleans
Louisiana health officials say that anyone who's been in an Ebola-affected country over the last three weeks will be quarantined in their hotel rooms.<p>The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene <a href="http://sherwood-astmh.informz.net/InformzDataService/OnlineVersion/Public?mailingInstanceId=4361797">is telling researchers</a> who've recently traveled to Ebola-affected parts of West Africa that they can't come to the society's annual meeting.Thu, 30 Oct 2014 21:30:00 +0000Jason Beaubien30654 at http://wnpr.orgHappy Birthday To Google Doodle Honoree Dr. Jonas Salk!http://wnpr.org/post/happy-birthday-google-doodle-honoree-dr-jonas-salk
Jonas Salk was born on October 28, 1914 in New York City. Google is celebrating the birth of the man who developed a polio vaccine with a special Google <a href="https://www.google.com/">doodle</a>.<p>During the fervor of the current Ebola outbreak, it seems like a good moment to tip our hats to one of the heroes of an earlier epidemic. Salk developed a vaccine for polio in 1953.Tue, 28 Oct 2014 16:51:00 +0000Jason Beaubien30516 at http://wnpr.org